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Time to Vote! Week #5--Movie-Inspired

Sew Together--Urban Heidi

On rainy Sunday afternoons when we were young, we used to watch old Shirley Temple movies on TV. We loved them then and they have obviously created a lasting impression, because this week we have chosen Shirley Temple’s 1937 movie Heidi as our inspiration. While flying off to Switzerland, gathering some edelweiss and taking some photos all seemed very appealing (though slightly unrealistic!!), we realised that what we actually wanted to create was “Urban Heidi.” – A collection of clothes that capture the essence of Heidi but are still fun and fashionable in our slightly less Swiss environment! These three pieces are not a dress up but rather a “dressed up” outfit when worn together and the individual pieces work equally well mixed and matched with wardrobe staples like a pair of jeans or a denim skirt.

The jacket is made from dark purple corduroy and is bound with black bias binding. It is lined with a great purple wildflower print that just said “Swiss” to us. We have folded back the cuffs to give you a peak. It has a slightly squared off collar, front tabs made from grosgrain ribbon and shiny gold buttons that were very popular with Pippa. The shirt is made from white cotton, with a cute set of mismatched vintage red buttons down the back. The neck and sleeves are finished with bias binding and a fine ruffled grosgrain ribbon. Edelweiss broderie anglaise ribbon and some very thin black ribbon finish the front. We used the same ribbon to create the border on the skirt. As is always popular with our Pip, this skirt has pretty good twirl factor!!!

If you would like to see the images from the original Heidi that inspired us and check out more pictures of our own Shirley Temple, pop in to Sew Together and say hi! We would love to see you.

A Little Gray-- Drive

Here's the thing about me and movies: I'm like a guy when it comes to movies. I like intense movies with good plot twists and fast car chases and even a tasteful amount of gunfire. I also enjoy a little Ryan Gosling, so in that way I suppose I'm all girl. Recently my husband and I rented a movie that was the perfect cocktail of all these elements called "Drive." It's fantastic. The maniacal gangsters, the speeding cars, the weird eighties synth soundtrack, romantic tension on an elevator, and of course the Gosling element. And OH, the scorpion jacket. I had other ideas for what to make this week, things from movies you might feel a little more nostalgic about... but I kept coming back to this quilted satin driving jacket with a stinkin gold scorpion on the back. I NEEDED to make this jacket.

The jacket is baroque satin in a champagne color, quilted in a diamond pattern onto fleece. It's fully lined in black cotton, and has black piping at the shoulders. It has functional welt pockets, black ribbing cuffs and waist, and a painted gold scorpion on the back. The original jacket has the scorpion in thick embroidery, but I used acrylic craft paint in two shades and I think the effect is pretty close to the original. (Which you can see here if you aren't familiar.) I also made slim fitting five-pocket jeans and a henley style white t-shirt for Hendrix to wear with the jacket. I completed the ensemble with a little pair of pleather fingerless driving gloves. ﻿

I LOVE the way this jacket fits on my Hendrix and really hope he can still rock that scorpion every day in the fall. Come see more at a A Little Gray.

CP--Willy Wonka

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of Drew's all-time favorite movies (she also loves the new version), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of her favorite books (we are big Roald Dahl fans). Although I love making costumes, I did not want to recreate a look or make a costume from the movie. Rather, I was inspired by Gene Wilder's fabulous get-up and made something every day wearable.

I should begin with the purple sleeveless dress which will probably get worn every day this summer. It is made of a lightweight corduroy and features a sweetheart neckline, two large heart pockets, and button-up sides for easy on and off. It will look great with any shirt underneath (and tights in the winter!), but for this look I mimicked Wonka's floral shirt and bow tie with this vintage purple floral and assymetrical bow. The little cropped jacket is my masterpiece. Literally. I searched and searched for a chocolate brown and white buffalo plaid fabric with no luck. If I could go to Mood I know I would have found it. But I can't and I wouldn't compromise so I painted my own fabric! I used a soft fabric paint that worked wonders. It is still soft, bendable, washable, and ironable. See my blog for more details, including the top hat I made and other extras for the photo shoot!

"We are the music makers... and we are the dreamers of dreams!" -Willy Wonka

Kiki and Company--Rags to Riches

Growing up one of my favorite movies was Annie. When I heard this week was movie week, I knew exactly what I would be doing. To me, the movie Annie is about the opposites of Rags to Riches. It is the story of fiercely independent to lovingly sheltered. The pictures above looks like she is saying, "Take me home, please" vs. "I'm home". I wanted to capture the looks of both of these with my outfits this week. The first outfit is to represent the independent, orphan Annie. Updated from her look in the movie, this look of strong prints, exposed zippers and sweet details were to represent that sweet girl who wanted nothing more than to say, "Come and take me home". I love the structured flutter sleeve I added and the bubble skirt added a bit of femininity to the outfit. The leather accesories bring an extra pop.

The classic red dress was Annie's claim to fame and I knew I wanted to update it! I loved the details of the top of the dress...a tuxedo pleat with white pleats on the side, the double peter pan collar, the bubbly sleeves and the thick white stripe around the middle are some of my favorite parts. Using the amazing circle skirt again made the bottom twirl worthy and a sweet petticoat underneath added a playful touch to the dress. I love the contrast between the two of these dresses and if I watched Annie again, could totally see her in each one of these!

Head on over to Kiki and Company to see details galore and grab your Annie outfits in paper doll form.

12 comments
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All morning, I've been creepily stalking the blog, waiting for the outfits to be posted. Totally worth it!! Every week, I'm not certain who to vote for, but I'll say it again: Dang it! Who do I vote for?!?

wow these all have really awesome elements and show so much talent!! I'm also wondering who in the world could win this challenge with all the great entries. I will say that I absolutely adore the two dresses for annie but it's a DIFFICULT choice!